Chapter 115
The sword tip gleamed with a cold light, carrying a menacing killing intent. The newcomer remained hidden in the shadows, and no one else appeared to seize the opportunity to strike. Only a long sword that came and went without a trace relentlessly attacked, yet it was also fierce and dazzling, making it extremely difficult to deal with.
Yin Qiu, holding Afu, narrowly dodged a few attacks, then shook the Zhubing sword out of its original form and raised her hand to meet the flying longsword head-on.
Clearly, the newcomer possessed immense skill. He merely manipulated the sword from mid-air without personally making a move, yet his terrifying true energy condensed the sword into immense power, causing Yin Qiu's tiger's mouth to go numb and forcing him to stagger backward.
"left!"
Afu, who knew nothing of swordsmanship, was completely helpless in this situation. She practically clung to Yin Qiu, yelling at the top of her lungs, "Left side! Left side! My ear's going to be chopped off!"
With a loud clang, Yin Qiu retaliated fiercely, deflecting the incoming longsword and successfully pulling Afu back from the brink of danger. She had to multitask, dealing with the longsword while protecting Afu's life. After a fierce fight, she gained no advantage and remained on the defensive.
The two had barely regained their footing when Afu screamed again, "To the right! Hurry, hurry, hurry!"
Yin Qiu had no choice but to perform a backflip in mid-air, just in time to dodge the long sword. Afu knew she couldn't help much, so she could only try her best to keep an eye on things for Yin Qiu. But Yin Qiu suddenly threw her backward and said without turning his head, "Get out of the way!"
Afu was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly lunged at Yin Qiu again, shouting, "You're so unfair! You know I'm bad at kung fu and you still abandon me!"
Before she could get close, the long sword came swiftly again, landing right between the two of them. If Afu took another step forward, the sword tip would pierce her head on the spot. Yin Qiu quickly kicked her in the chest, sending Afu flying far away. She landed on the ground with a thud, like a sack of potatoes.
"I told you to get out of the way! Go to higher ground!" Yin Qiu said hastily, ignoring what Afu did, and led the long sword to the other side.
Afu fell flat on her face, then quickly got up. As if she had just remembered that she knew light-footed kung fu and archery, she hurriedly leaped onto a bamboo stalk to climb to a high place, nocked an arrow, and aimed it at the longsword.
However, she was dismayed to find that the person below and the sword were locked in a fierce and evenly matched battle. If it were a person, she could easily make a move, but it was a sword! Not only was it small, but its speed was also astonishing. Afu held her bow and arrow and swayed from side to side, but she could not accurately aim at the sword.
"Slow down!" Afu was sweating profusely with anxiety. "If you hit so hard, I'm going to ejaculate on you!"
Without her getting in the way, Yin Qiu gradually became more adept at the fight. In the midst of the entanglement, she no longer felt passive as before. She took the initiative to meet the long sword several times and shouted back, "Looking for someone!"
Afu immediately opened her half-closed eyes and looked down, but fate was cruel. The moonlight that had been shining for most of the night suddenly went dark, and the bamboo forest was shrouded in darkness. Even though she was about to burst into tears, she couldn't see anyone hiding anywhere.
"I can't find it!" Afu had no choice but to shout to Yin Qiu again, "Think of something!"
Yin Qiu was completely impressed by her: "Go and call someone!"
She was indeed secretly thinking of a solution, but the longsword's attack was so swift that it didn't give Yin Qiu any extra time to think of a countermeasure, nor did it give her any time to look for the sword wielder. Seeing that Yin Qiu was quite calm and composed, and that every move she made was clean and beautiful, Afu couldn't help but feel a competitive spirit. She thought to herself that she was, after all, a disciple of the Nine Immortals Hall, how could she be overshadowed by Yin Qiu at a time like this?
So she squinted again, aiming as she said, "Watch this!"
Upon hearing this, Yin Qiu deliberately withdrew his hand and flew backward. The longsword, like a dazzling shooting star in the night sky, trailed its blade and relentlessly pursued Yin Qiu. Seeing this, Afu decisively released the taut bowstring, and the arrow shot out, reaching the side of the longsword in the blink of an eye, its timing perfect.
Yin Qiu heard a "clang!" and a burst of blinding sparks exploded before his eyes. The arrow that Afu had shot shattered with a bang, and the long sword also broke in half after flashing a few times, falling to the ground in an instant.
"Excellent! Excellent archery!" Afu exclaimed excitedly, boasting with pride, "Come and try again if you dare!"
Unexpectedly, as soon as she finished speaking, many dense points of light suddenly lit up in the forest, like a cluster of stars fallen from the heavens, and immediately surrounded the two of them silently.
Yin Qiu's breathing became slightly disordered, and upon noticing the star-like specks of light, her heart sank a little.
Afu realized something was wrong; it seemed the assassin really had brought people with him!
She quickly looked at Yin Qiu, wanting to raise her voice to tell her not to stand there like an idiot, but saw that Yin Qiu had already flown towards her. However, when she was halfway through the air, she paused and changed to a completely opposite direction from Afu.
"Run!"
Afu's lightness skill was superb. She was already hiding in a high place, so escaping would be a piece of cake. But if she were to be caught, this girl would be of no use except to hold them back. Yin Qiu understood this very well. It would be better to split up and escape with her.
"Go back to Jiuxian Hall!" Yin Qiu said. "Go and fetch my martial uncle and your master!"
"Where are you going!" Afu hesitated, clutching her bow and arrows, realizing Yin Qiu's intentions. "You...aren't you being a bit too righteous at a time like this? There's absolutely no need for that!"
Just as Yin Qiu was about to reply, a cluster of twinkling stars suddenly appeared in her eyes. She glanced to the side and saw that the points of light in the forest had suddenly sprung up, revealing sharp longswords that instantly surrounded her.
At the same time, dozens of men in black flew down from the forest and rushed towards Afu above the bamboo forest.
The longsword, like a swimming dragon, cut through the wind and formed an impenetrable circle. A boundless killing intent spread out, causing the blood in one's body to boil and the hair on one's head to stand on end.
Yin Qiu's pupils contracted, and a chill crept up her spine. She immediately and nimbly descended from mid-air, with several longswords following closely behind her, forming a dense, impenetrable net that instantly enveloped her once again.
Seeing the men in black rushing towards her, Afu cursed under her breath and used her lightness skill to dodge to the other side without hesitation. As she retreated, she fired arrows and managed to hit them several times, causing several men in black to die from arrow wounds during the chase.
In this way, the men in black not only couldn't even catch up with her shadow, but could only let her shoot arrows and hurt people. After several chases, all the men in black retreated and gave up on attacking Afu.
"A bunch of cowards!" Afu cursed. "With such meager skills, you dare to commit murder? Go back and tell your master to find a crooked tree and hang himself as soon as possible!"
She relied on her superior lightness skill and archery skills to avoid any trouble, while Yin Qiu was isolated and helpless, suppressed by several longswords, unable to break free from the sword circle that imprisoned her.
However, Yin Qiu noticed something strange at this critical moment: when the men in black were chasing Afudo, these longswords were still able to hold her tightly, indicating that someone else was secretly controlling them, and it was very likely the owner behind the longsword from before.
The fact that the person could control so many swords remotely with his own strength shows that his skill was far beyond hers. Moreover, after fighting for most of the day, Yin Qiu found that she had not heard any flute music and her true energy had not been affected. Could it be that the person who was going to kill her tonight was not the flute player?
Recalling what Afu had said before, that neither she nor Meng Wugui knew anything about the flute music, did this mean that the two of them didn't know about the existence of the flute player at all, and that all they knew was the person tonight!
Yin Qiu suddenly realized what was happening. While relieved that the flute player hadn't come, she couldn't help but feel an even deeper chill.
Besides the piper, there are other people who want to kill her. What did she do to offend someone she shouldn't have? Why is everyone targeting her?
If the piper attacked her because of Man Jiangxue, then what about this man tonight? What is his motive?
·
The longsword hovered in mid-air, like a white snake spitting its tongue, hissing coldly. Yin Qiu had nowhere to go forward or backward and could only stand there and raise his hands to block.
Fortunately, Zhu Bing was exceptionally sharp, a rare and excellent sword like Man Jiangxue's Ning Shuang. Facing the invisible sword intent rushing towards him from those longswords, Zhu Bing did not show any signs of retreat or fear. Instead, it emitted a deep sword cry, its momentum growing stronger with each battle, seemingly to give Yin Qiu, who was fighting alone, the confidence to fight against many.
Unbeknownst to them, the men in black had gathered around him. They wore long swords at their waists, but none of them took off their swords to attack Yin Qiu. Instead, they stood at various points around the sword circle, chanting incantations as they channeled their inner energy into their palms.
Seeing the actions of these people, Yin Qiu's expression became even more solemn. When she was distracted, her movements slowed down, and the long swords grazed her arms, leaving streaks of blood.
Although the wound was not deep, blood gushed out quickly, staining Yin Qiu's long sleeves a shocking crimson in the blink of an eye.
"Oh no! They're setting up a formation!" Afu, sensing something was wrong from the other side, quickly turned and shouted into the shadows behind her, "It's almost time! Senior Sister! You can come out and save the day!"
However, after she shouted these words, she received no response for a long time, and no one appeared.
Seeing that Yin Qiu was outnumbered and already injured, Afu was extremely anxious. She immediately leaped up from the top of the hill and jumped towards a secluded corner in the forest. To her surprise, there was no one there.
"Senior Sister!" Afu was shocked and hurriedly used her lightness skill to run through the forest again, but she still couldn't see a single person.
What's going on? We clearly agreed to meet here, where the hell is Fu Xiang?!
At this moment, Afu was completely disoriented, and her heart sank straight to the bottom of the earth.
She had always followed Meng Wugui's arrangements and did not actually have the ability to handle any emergencies. From the day she was taken in as Meng Wugui's apprentice, she did whatever Meng Wugui said. Once Meng Wugui was not by her side to keep an eye on things, or if something unexpected went wrong, Afu would be like a headless fly, her mind completely blank.
What to do... what to do?!
Yin Qiu's words proved prophetic! Relying solely on the two of them to defend against the enemy, even a genius like them was helpless!
This time I'm really doomed!
·
The cold wind carried the scent of blood through the bamboo forest. Yin Qiu leaped and dodged lightly amidst the rain of swords, his sleeves soaked with blood, which smeared the back of his hands and dripped onto the ground along the blade of Zhu Bing's sword.
After fighting for so long, although Yin Qiu was always at a disadvantage due to being alone, she had figured out her opponent's strength in the process. It was true that the person had profound skills, and these swords were indeed extremely troublesome. However, it would not be easy for them to subdue Yin Qiu easily.
Her thoughts raced through her mind, and countless ideas flashed through her mind. Yin Qiu knew very well that the sword wielder would not be able to kill her so easily, but if this dragged on, she would likely be exhausted and her true energy would be depleted. Even if the sword wielder was expending more energy than she was, the other side had more people and more power. If one sword wielder fell, there would be others who could continue to kill Yin Qiu. Either way, it would be disadvantageous for her.
"What are you all standing there for!" Yin Qiu shouted hoarsely as he caught sight of Afu standing like a wooden stake in the woods, "Go and fetch your martial uncle and Master Meng!"
Afu's face was contorted with worry. She wanted to leave, but she was also afraid that Yin Qiu would die in this place after she left. After a moment of painful struggle, she cursed, "Damn it, let's fight them!"
Having said that, she leaped back onto the top of the hill, took out a sharp arrow, and aimed it at the people below. Arrows flew out one after another, without the slightest deviation. Several men in black were pierced straight into the chest by her, but as blood spurted out, not one of them showed any sign of dodging. They all endured the pain and continued to set up their formation.
These people clearly knew that Yin Qiu was not easy to deal with, and that their longswords could not kill her in a short time. So they could only use a sword formation to trap her and prevent her from moving, so that they could kill Yin Qiu completely.
Afu knew exactly what they were thinking, and she fired her arrows even more frequently. However, she had lost her mind earlier and missed the best opportunity. Even though she had successfully killed all the men in black this time, the sword formation was still set up in the end.
"Buzz!"
A deep, heavy hum suddenly rang out, like the sound of a bell that could strike straight to the heart. A brilliant golden light suddenly swept outward from Yin Qiu as the center point. The next moment, a terrifying shockwave also erupted, shaking the bamboo forest violently and startling the birds into flight.
Afu's vision went black for a moment, but she regained her senses quickly. She steadied herself and almost fell to the ground from the loud noise.
She was at a distance from the sword formation and was not greatly affected, but Yin Qiu was standing in the middle of the formation. As soon as the buzzing sound started, Yin Qiu felt as if her heart was being hit by a heavy drum, or as if someone had hit her on the head with a blunt object. Her mind was filled with the heavy sound, which echoed endlessly.
Yin Qiu's face turned pale, and a metallic taste filled her throat. She opened her mouth and spat out a mouthful of blood.
Witnessing this, Afu felt a chill run through her body and cried out in a hoarse voice, "Yin Qiu!"
She frantically landed, stepping over the corpses of the men in black, but before she could get close, several long swords swooped down from mid-air, trapping Yin Qiu inside like an impenetrable wall. This also caused Afu's chest to churn with blood, leaving her powerless to resist as she was thrown backward.
·
Finally, a dark figure walked slowly out of the woods and stopped in an open space not far from the two.
The man was dressed in black, with a black headscarf wrapped around his head and a black cloth covering his face. Apart from his eyes, which reflected a dazzling array of lights, only his muscular physique revealed that he was a man.
As soon as he appeared, many more figures darted out from the bamboo forest behind him.
Yin Qiu's face was pale, her mind still reeling from the buzzing sound. She supported herself on Zhu Bing, kneeling on the ground, one hand covering the lower half of her face. Strands of blood slowly flowed from between her fingers, staining her clean white dress.
Although Afu did not vomit blood, she was still seriously injured by the attack. She coughed violently a few times, forcibly suppressing the metallic taste in her throat. Her usual carefree and smiling expression was completely gone at this moment.
"Your archery skills are excellent, young lady," the man in black said as the two men suppressed their pain. "Unfortunately, even the most skillful archery cannot overcome the foolishness of the human heart. You wanted to wait for us to come to your doom, but we will do the same. Nine Immortals Hall? It seems you are nothing special."
A hidden oriole lurks behind?
Afu bit her lip tightly, the blood in her throat making her heart and lungs tremble, and she couldn't utter a single word.
After a long while, she finally caught her breath and questioned, "What did you do to my senior sister?"
The man's expression was cold as he calmly said, "Nothing much, I just used some tricks to stop her on the road. Judging by the time, she should be detained by now."
"Impossible!" Afu said, "My senior sister isn't that easy to deal with!"
“That depends on who’s dealing with her,” the man said with a contemptuous laugh, “like Mingyue Tower.”
Afu was stunned: "You—!"
“If you can’t kill her, then make sure she can’t get away,” the man said. “And the best way to make sure she can’t get away is obvious to me.”
Afu immediately realized what was happening and cursed, "Despicable!"
Damn it! No wonder Fu Xiang disappeared at such a crucial moment; it turns out she was trapped by her own people!
Her status as the young mistress was merely nominal. Before leaving, Fu Cen specially sent a trusted general to accompany her. If this person were to inform her of tonight's events, Steward Zhao would definitely try every means to stop Fu Xiang and would never let her get involved in this mess.
If Fu Xiang hadn't run into trouble, she and Yin Qiu wouldn't have ended up in such a dangerous situation!
Afu trembled with anger and staggered to her feet. She glanced at Yin Qiu, whose eyes were closed, and then held her bow to block Yin Qiu's path.
Seeing this, the man sneered: "Like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, you're overestimating yourself."
Afu nocked an arrow to the bowstring, about to retort, when she suddenly heard Yin Qiu's weak voice behind her: "Go...you go first..."
"Where are you going!" Afu shouted. "If anything happens to you, Master will skin me alive! We've fallen into a trap tonight, and there's no turning back. Since that's the case, I can't abandon you and run away alone. You should know that I'm also very loyal!"
Having said that, she spat twice at the man in black and continued, "You filthy thing! You couldn't even beat two girls with your numbers, so all you could do was concoct some lousy formation to trap people. Bah! You've disgraced your ancestors for eighteen generations!"
The man narrowed his eyes, seemingly offended by Afu's insults. He sneered, "The sword formation isn't meant to deal with you. Who are you? You're not worth our effort."
After he finished speaking, he raised his arm and made a gesture, and all the men in black behind him poured out and rushed straight to where Afu was.
Unexpectedly, at this time, she was still arguing with someone, deliberately provoking them to anger, instead of running away for her life. Yin Qiu was so angry that she almost vomited blood again, but she was in excruciating pain in her chest and had a splitting headache. She couldn't even stand up and could only watch helplessly as the men in black attacked Afu with their long swords.
"If you survive, remember to tell my master!" Afu dropped her bow and arrows and picked up a sword from a corpse at her feet. "Tell her I'm not brainless! I'm just not as smart as her! I'm actually no worse than my senior sister!"
After she finished speaking, she took her longsword and stepped forward, leaping into the crowd.
Yin Qiu's expression changed drastically. He forced himself to stand up despite the pain, gripped Zhu Bing tightly, and cried out, "Afu...!"
Several longswords came flying at her head. Afu was agile and quickly dodged them, but she refused to abandon Yin Qiu and protect herself. Her renowned lightness skill became a worthless skill. After only a few exchanges, Afu had her longswords knocked out and fell to the ground in a sorry state.
"Afu!" Yin Qiu shouted again, trying to break through the sword formation to save her, but was quickly pushed back by the flashing array light.
A blinding glint of cold light pressed down on her, and Afu instinctively closed her eyes, gritting her teeth as she tried to turn and escape. But a leg swept from the side and kicked her back in time. The cold light was right up to her eyelashes in an instant, and Afu's eyes widened. She couldn't help but scream.
However, at this critical moment, a series of loud "whoosh" sounds suddenly arose from nowhere. Several small throwing knives with red ribbons suddenly flew out of the forest. The knives pierced the night and cut through the cold wind. In the blink of an eye, they struck and instantly shattered all the sword tips in front of Afu!
Afu's heart stopped, she was terrified, and her face was cut by the broken pieces of iron. Her face was as white as paper, and her mind went blank.
The next moment, a hand suddenly grabbed her from behind by the back of her collar and quickly lifted her into the air.
Half of her long hair fluttered in the wind, and Afu froze for a moment before bursting into overwhelming joy.
Is that Master?
She turned around with a look of surprise, but instead of the face she expected, she saw a woman in dark clothes with deep features wearing a bamboo hat.
“Oh,” Wen Chaoyu said, pulling Afu to the ground with a half-smile, “it’s you.”
Upon recognizing the person, Afu's smile vanished instantly.
How could it be her?!
It's Wen Chaoyu!
The fleeting joy that Afu had just felt vanished in an instant.
A chill ran down her spine, and before she could regain her balance, she stumbled and fell outside the sword formation, looking at Yin Qiu with teary eyes, saying, "It's over, it's over... This time I'm really, really going to die! Even the protector of the Ziwei Sect has come to kill you!"
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